


in his arms

by chickennugget



Series: soulmates [1]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-09
Updated: 2014-10-07
Packaged: 2018-02-16 17:01:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 8,491
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2277669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chickennugget/pseuds/chickennugget
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"That night Zayn released all of his burdens onto Liam and Liam accepted them willingly."</p><p>Everyone is born with an uniquely designed tattoo that is the same as one other persons in the world. But these days finding your soul mate is rare because of all the lies and extreme measures people take to "match" with someone.</p><p>Liam and Zayn are just two friends trying to make it through all of the deceit and just be happy.</p><p> </p><p>this is crap just read the first chapter its way better than this I promise and i know this soulmate thing is common but ive never seen it with ziam before so</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Zayn was always so private and reserved even with his best mate Liam; but Liam understood that and gave Zayn the space he needed instead of pressuring Zayn for information like his other friends (Louis for example).  Liam was always there for him; a quiet soul to bond with when Niall’s laughter became too much, an R&B sanctuary when Harry blasted his horrible hipster music and a place of refugee when Louis’ personality became too much.

It only makes sense that Liam was the first person he told when he got engaged to Perrie. So it only makes sense that Liam was the first person Zayn ran to for comfort when his marriage with Perrie didn’t work out. He confessed to Liam how Perrie violated him in his sleep and found his mark and then snuck off to the tattoo parlor to get one just like his in the same spot. He explained the confusion on his behalf on how when they finally had sex for the first time he was surprised to see that she had two marks one like his and one that was not. In all the lust and passion she had forgotten that she was living a lie and in those split few seconds it all fell apart.

As Zayn talked Liam didn’t say anything. He was afraid that if he even made one single noise Zayn would retreat back into his shell. He was surprised that Zayn was telling him all of this but he wasn’t shocked at what Zayn told him. He knew that Zayn and Perrie weren’t made for each other.

 When Zayn finished he looked up at Liam afraid that his friend would judge him for being naïve and crying like a girl but still Liam said nothing. He just opened up his arms and encased Zayn into his grasp in a way that only he could and for the first time in years Zayn cried. Not only for his most recent loss but for everything. He let out pain that he had been holding in for almost all of his life. He cried for the time in 5th grade when he fell and broke his arm and his father threatened to send him back to Pakistan if he even shed one tear. He also cried for the time when his dog had “died” while he was away and Perrie had him cremated and thrown in a closet somewhere before he could properly say goodbye. That night Zayn released all of his burdens onto Liam and Liam accepted them willingly.


	2. Chapter 2

*flashback*

 

They say that when you meet your soul mate for the first time your heart beats fast, hands go clammy, fireworks go off and of course the dreaded butterflies in your stomach feeling but Liam didn’t feel that way when he saw Zayn for the first time. He felt calm and at peace like his life finally made sense. He may have stared at Zayn for a little bit too long but who could blame him. Zayn was beautiful. His skin was covered in ink and his hair was styled perfectly to go on along with a meticulously put together outfit and on top of all of that he walked in such a way that it seemed like he didn’t have a care in the world. Suddenly Liam felt under dressed in his work outfit of khakis and a polo. Subconsciously Liam tried to make himself look slightly more presentable while still staring at this beautiful boy. He creeped a little closer and pretended to be “straighten up” a display to get closer to him and then he spoke. “Excuse me mate, but could you help me?” When Liam heard his mysterious boy’s voice he almost jumped him right then and there. His voice was smooth and sticky like honey. (Sticky because it stuck with Liam’s hours after he heard it).

Liam’s heart stopped as he turned to face the boy. Instinctively Liam flashed the boy a smile and of course agreed to help him. The boy explained that he was looking for a bouquet to get his finance because she was mad at him. Apparently his dog had tracked mud through the house and she wasn’t too happy. Liam advised him on a beautiful set of violet orchids. The boy agreed with him and bought them and ran off immediately to attempt and reconcile his soon to be wife. From that day on Liam felt a little empty and he longed for the dark haired boy to come back to his flower shop.


	3. Chapter 3

For the past week Zayn had been raving about how good some little flower shop was and it was driving Perrie crazy. Literally the only words that came out of his mouth were things about how good it smelled or about how nice the flower boy was and Perrie just wanted him to shut up.

“Hey Zayn how about you go get me some flowers?” Perrie subtly suggested to him thinking that maybe if Zayn goes to the place again he’ll get over it and talk about something else. Zayn jumped at the opportunity to visit his new favorite place and rushed out the door without even asking Perrie what type of flowers she wanted.

Liam was working on closing up the shop when a certain tattooed boy strolled in. Liam quickly went to his position behind the counter and observed as the boy carefully examined the flowers. It seemed like forever before the boy said something.

“You don’t have to stare at me so hard mate. I’m not going to steal anything” the boy said with a small laugh.

“I- I didn’t think you were going to steal. ~~I just like the way you treat everything so carefully~~ ” Liam said holding the last part in.  
“Then why were you watching me”  the boy asked a little more defensive now and Liam noticed him edging towards the door. Whether it was subconscious or on purpose Liam didn’t know he just knew that he wasn’t going to let his boy away so easily.

“I just wanted to be ready in case you needed help like last time” Liam replied with a small smile hoping that his answer would be enough for the boy to stay and it was. The boy visibly relaxed and nodded accepting Liam’s answer. In that moment Liam wanted to introduce himself but he wasn’t sure if that was okay or not so he just held his tongue and observed.


	4. Chapter 4

Liam now looked forward to Zayn’s weekly visits. In these short brief visits the mysterious boy revealed that his name was Zayn and that his finances name was Perrie. Sometimes Zayn would also mumble about how even though he and Perrie had matching symbols he felt as if something was wrong. But Liam didn’t think that he was supposed to hear that so he pretended to not hear Zayn. On Wednesdays he began to set aside arrangements that he thought ~~Zayn~~ _Perrie_ would like. It was routine really, every Wednesday Zayn would stroll into his shop, mumble a greeting, look at the flowers, buy the one he liked best and leave.

Seeing Zayn was definitely the highlight of Liam’s boring week. So it’s no surprise that late one Wednesday night Liam was feeling a little sad because Zayn hadn’t shown up and it was time to close up shop.

Liam was locking the door when he heard a frantic “Wait, wait!” He turned to see Zayn walking hand in hand with a beautiful girl. “How dare you lock up without me” Zayn joked as Liam reopened the store. Liam opened his mouth to banter back but was cut off by _her_. “This place better be amazing for you to be able to steal my husband away every Wednesday night” Liam wanted to inform _her_ that her and Zayn weren’t married yet but instead he bit his tongue and opened the door with a flourish letting the couple in.  Perrie was so unlike Zayn. She flitted from flower to flower only spending seconds on each one before moving onto something better while Zayn on the other hand stared at each flower like he was looking into its soul before moving on to the next one and doing the same.

Zayn followed behind Perrie silently nodding when he was supposed to and being the model husband. ”Flower boy” Perrie snapped at Liam snapping him out of his observations. “His name is Liam” Zayn whispered so low Liam almost couldn’t hear him and he knew for sure that _she_ didn’t hear him.

“We want these.” Perrie said thrusting a banquet of pale pink roses into his face. “What a perfect choice.” Liam replied forcing a smile onto his face. Zayn tried to pay for the flowers but Liam wouldnt let him. Finally after Liam convinced Zayn to leave with the flowers he watched them exit his store with a heavy heart and a sense of longing.


	5. Chapter 5

One Wednesday Liam was too sick to work so he called on his friend Harry to run his shop. Harry was no stranger to the shop though. He grew the flowers and picked them for Liam to arrange into beautiful bouquets. His job was more behind the scenes but that was how Harry liked it. When forced to deal with customers he became awkward and his large hands would suddenly stop working and his slow speech would become even slower as the customer looked at him concerned that he couldn’t function as a human being. But in spite of all of this Harry still found himself behind the counter Wednesday night covering for Liam. He would do anything to help his overly stressed friend.

So far no one had walked into the shop and Harry was bored. He didn’t even understand why Liam had the shop open. Who buys flowers on a _Wednesday_? Just as Harry was about to close up and go grab an early dinner for him and Liam; a boy walked in. He was really more of a man but if Harry called him that he would just get even more nervous and probably make Liam lose a sale so he decided to stick with boy. To make matters worse the “boy” was beautiful and then to Harrys chagrin the boy began to look at Harry for a long time and it felt as if he was staring into Harry’s soul.

Under his gaze Harry began to fidget and maybe even sweat a little until the stranger finally talked, “Where’s Liam?” Harry raised an eyebrow. Liam hadn’t told him that he had made a new friend. “He’s sick” Harry responded curious now about this boy that apparently knew his Liam. As Harry watched it became apparent that this boy knew his way around the shop and soon he approached the counter holding 2 bouquets. After wrapping them up he tried to hand both of the bouquets to the boy but he pushed the bouquet of lavender roses back towards Harry. “These are for Liam. Tell him I hope he feels better” he said so fast Harry almost couldn’t catch it and then the boy promptly left the store.

If Harry had only been merely interested in Liam and the boys relationship now he was completely invested in it. After grabbing a quick dinner (sandwich for him and soup for Liam) he rushed over to Li’s house to get all the details. As soon as he got back he wanted to thrust the flowers into Liam’s face and question him about the mystery boy but he forced himself to eat dinner and then wait for Liam to slowly finish his soup. To Harry it seemed like this last part took ages but it was really only 5 minutes.

“Someone left a present for you today.” Harry told Liam as soon as he was done eating and instantly Liam perked up. He only had one other “friend” besides Harry so he had an idea of who the flowers were from. Harry then handed Liam the bouquet of roses to Liam. “They came from a boy with perfect hair and several tattoos…” Harry told Liam. Liam’s smile was so big Harry thought his face was going to crack open and now Harry had to know about the boy. For the rest of the night Harry prodded Liam for information but Liam kept silent he wasn’t ready to share Zayn with someone else. Late after Harry left Liam found himself up and thinking about Zayn and his fiancé and about how the world was against him to send him such a beautiful man that was already engaged. Even through all of this Liam felt asleep with a smile on his face holding his flowers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> in case you didn't know the significance of lavender roses they basically mean love at first sight and a way of saying that you want to expand a relationship and lets just say that Zayn didn't just choose them because he liked the color


	6. Chapter 6

Over the weekend in a pit of pure self-pity and hatred Liam cut almost all of his hair off. All he left was a bit of fuzz on the top and Liam was quite happy with it. He could now wake up fifteen minutes later because he didn’t have any hair to do. Harry told Liam that he looked like a “proper action man” but Liam just laughed and ignored him. He was more concerned on what Zayn would think.

Wednesday finally came and Liam waited impatiently for Zayn to show up and when he finally did Liam tried to act as natural as possible. Zayn looked at the flowers as usual and then approached the counter. “You look like a proper action man” Zayn said to Liam smirking while handing Liam his choice of flowers for the day. All Liam could do was smile at the ground as he rang up the flowers. He struggled internally on whether or not he should thank Zayn for the flowers but before he could make up his mind Zayn spoke again.

“So I was thinking and I think we should hang out together outside of this flower shop.” Zayn said acting shy all of a sudden. Liam’s heart soared. He couldn’t believe that Zayn actually wanted to spend time with him.

They made plans to meet up that Friday at a local restaurant. Zayn said that he was going to bring his mate Louis and he advised that Liam bring Harry so that they would have an even number and of course Liam agreed. Even though he had no idea how he would convince Harry to go on a social outing. Liam just didn’t know how to tell Zayn no.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is really short im sorry but I've already written the next chapter and its really long so be prepared and Louis is going to come in im really excited theres going to be some legit character development and finally i can move this story out of the flower shop im just really excited okay bye


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just a warning theres a lot of pov jumps in here so stay alert :)

With a lot of pleading, begging and the promise of a new pair of shoes Liam convinced Harry to go out for dinner. Liam was going to surprise Harry with a new pair of boots anyway because the ones Harry had were worn out but Harry didn’t have to know that.

When Liam pulled up to Harry’s house to his dismay Harry walked out wearing a shirt covered in _hands_. Liam groaned in dismay. Now Zayn was going to think that he had weird friends.

“What are you wearing?” Liam questioned the boy once he got into the car.

“Shirt…jeans…boots” Harry shrugged looking down at his outfit.

“Why does your shirt have hands on it” Liam asked being more specific even though they both knew what Liam was referring to the first time.

“It’s called fashion Liam. Look it up.”

Liam didn’t say anything he just sighed and put the car in drive. (Later that night Liam looked up Harry’s shirt and it was made by Burberry so it was indeed fashion.)

Everything was going great until Liam and Harry walked into the restaurant and saw who Louis was. Liam grimaced and Harry visibly deflated. Louis was someone that they both thought they had left behind in high school.

As soon as they sat down Louis got that gleam in his eye that Liam knew all too well. “Payno! You look like a proper action man” He complimented Liam devilishly. Liam muttered a thanks and then almost sort of shut Louis out completely.

Zayn watched this interaction carefully and started to put together that Liam and Louis knew each other and not in a good way. He also observed how Harry had crawled into his shell by keeping his eyes glued to the table and not saying a word. Liam’s demeanor had also changed from the open and cheery guy he knew to closed off and protective. But then Zayn looked at Louis and grew confused because Louis looked as if nothing was wrong and was sat with a cheerful smile.

“So how do you guys know each other?” Zayn asked in an attempt to break the ice.

“Zayn you fool! How could you not remember Harold here and the Payno” Louis reminded Zayn. Suddenly Zayn did remember. He remembered Harry who was a few years younger who had rocked the over curly hair and lesbian glasses along with Liam the all-around good kid. Harry he couldn’t have cared less about but he did vaguely remember hating on Liam with Louis but; Liam looked so different now. He filled out his clothes now and didn’t look as… annoying. Also Zayn really like his hair. It looked soft and he just wanted to touch his head. Harry on the other hand was completely unrecognizable. Puberty hit him hard. His curls were now just right and he traded out the glasses for contacts. Also now instead of a round baby face he was all jawline. He was almost intimidating until he smiled then his dimples showed and became all fluff. Zayn may have stared at Harry for a little too long (he definitely stared at Liam for too long) but the boy was so focused on not making eye contact that he didn’t take notice. This bothered Zayn he wanted everyone to enjoy themselves not just Louis who was having a grand time interrogating Liam about life after high school.

“Harry I like your shirt. Is it new from the Burberry line?” Zayn asked the shy boy. Harry looked up and smiled and Zayn knew he had broken the seal. He and Harry begun to discuss fashion. Eventually Louis grew tired of bothering Liam and he left the boy alone long enough that he could join into Zayn and Harry’s conversation.

Louis for one didn’t care about fashion or anything that the other three boys were conversing about so he kept quiet. He tried to interject and change the subject a few times but the boys would just pause and continue talking. He got the feeling that Harry and Liam didn’t want to talk to him anyways. Louis thought that since high school had been over for a few years they would forget his past actions but he was wrong. Not that Louis necessarily felt regret for what he did he just figured if they would just get over it would make his life a little easier seeing as Zayn had taken a liking to them.

Once Liam got over the fact that Louis was there, dinner was actually really good. He got to know Zayn on a deeper level than quick conversations in a flower shop. At first he thought that he had miscalculated Zayn when he saw that he was friends with _Louis_ but he was wrong. Zayn was a good guy, a great guy actually and it made Liam’s heart ache even more to know that he was taken. After dinner they made plans to make going out a weekly kind of thing and they went their separate ways.

On the car ride home Louis was quiet. Usually when he was in Zayn’s car he turned the music up, tried to smoke cigarettes, and was just plain obnoxious but today he just sat in the passenger’s seat silently. In all honesty Zayn and Louis didn’t exactly have one of those friendships where they sat around having deep conversations. Their friendship was more like riding around town causing hell for anyone that got into their way and smoking some illegal things when Perrie wasn’t around. Zayn knew all of this but the way his personality was set up he couldn’t drop Louis off if he knew that his friend wasn’t all smiles as usual.

“A penny for your thoughts” Zayn spoke breaking the silence.

“What the hell Zayn, literally no one says that anymore” Louis quipped back. Zayn relaxed a little; sassy Louis he could handle, sad Louis he could not. After that Zayn kept quiet because he knew that Louis had something to say. The way to get things out of Louis was to make it seem like it was his idea to open up and that no one in any way had provoked him. So Zayn waited.

“ ’Member in high school when I did that thing that got me expelled.” Louis said quietly almost to himself as if he didn’t want Zayn to hear him.

“Yeah” Zayn replied confused on why Louis was talking about this.

“Did you ever wonder who I did it too?” Louis asked looking down into his hands.

“No because you told me that you didn’t do it.” Zayn brow was furrowed in confusion now.

“I lied. I did it.” Louis said towards the window looking anywhere but at Zayn.

“Louis…”

“I did it to Harry.”

That night for the first time since he graduated high school Harry had a sleepover at Liam’s. Even though Louis hadn’t acted rude that night just seeing him brought back memories of what had happened. Harry didn’t trust himself to be alone so instead he cuddled up into Liam’s bed falling asleep with a smile on his face because even though the world sucked he was lucky enough to have a friend like Liam.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tada heres louis i cant decide if I want to reveal what louis did to harry in this story or just keep it vauge and write about it in another story like a larry story about them in high school we'll see and im sorry this is so long it was 2 pages in Microsoft word and this is probably going to be the longest chapter bc it took me 3 hours to write this where the other ones take me about an hour and i can write them quick and update everyday or maybe i'll just update every other day with longer chapters im not sure yet but this is getting long so i'll just stop here bye
> 
>  
> 
> ALSO IM STILL TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO WRITE IN NIALL AND WHETHER I WANT HIM TO BE COCKY CONFIDENT NIALL OR SWEET AND SHY NIALL BASICALLY WHETER I WANT IT TO BE ZAYNLOUISNIALL OR HARRYLIAMNIALL niall is so versatile i love him okay im done for real now i hope you enjoy this if you do please let me know because it will literally make my day


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS CHAPTER IS SHIT

After Zayn and Liam saw each other outside of the flower shop for the first time it catapulted them into a routine of hanging out somewhere every weekend. One weekend they went to the movies to see that new super hero movie and then the other week they went to the new club that had just opened. This weekend they were going to tone it down a bit and Liam was simply going to go over to Zayn’s house and “chill” and then afterwards they were going to do something with all the boys. Perrie was going away for the weekend and Zayn claimed that he needed everyone over to keep him company.

Liam thought nothing of “chilling” with Zayn until the hour before. What exactly does chill even mean? A few minutes before he was about to leave Zayn had texted him saying _“Bring some swim trunks. ;)”_ It wasn’t bringing trunks that threw Liam off it was the winky face. What does a winky face even mean? Zayn was being incredibly cheeky today and Liam couldn’t handle it. He just grabbed his trunks and left for Zayn’s.

When Liam arrived at Zayn’s Zayn opened up the door with a flourish and look on his face that Liam couldn’t place. All of a sudden Zayn bombarded Liam with the spray from a water gun. Liam suddenly knew the look on Zayn’s face; it was sneaky. “White flag! White flag!” Liam shouted holding his hands up in defense. This made Zayn halt the flow of water for a second and that’s all the time Liam needed to disarm Zayn and hold the gun himself.

“Oh how the tables have turned.” Liam said to as Zayn held his hands up and started backing away. Zayn thought he was being sneaky but Liam saw the water gun he was going for. “Hey you stop moving there” Liam said letting out a little stream of water at Zayn. Zayn froze in his spot. Liam quickly maneuvered behind the boy and retrieved the other water gun. Now Zayn’s retreat backwards was completely real.

“Put the guns down and we can discuss this like civilized men.” Liam raised an eyebrow at him and raised his guns ready to shoot. “I’m a lover not a fighter.” Zayn said in a last attempt to stay dry. Liam slightly lowered his guns and as soon as Zayn let his guard down Liam fired streams of water at Zayn. Zayn let out a rather unmanly scream and turned around making a full retreat from Liam. Liam followed behind Zayn carefully making sure to only spray the boy with water and not the other things in his house because he wasn’t raised in the jungle.

Zayn ran out the door and Liam found himself outside next to a pool and Zayn was nowhere in sight. All he could hear was Zayn’s laughter floating through the air. As soon as Liam let his guard down ever so slightly Zayn appeared in front of him holding two water guns that were dripping wet from just being refilled. Liam attempted to fire at Zayn but to his dismay his gun was empty. Liam set his guns down on the ground and raised his hands in resignation. He thought that maybe Zayn would show him mercy. Zayn smiled at Liam and started to walk closer. Liam thought that the water battle was over but he was wrong. “This is Sparta!” Zayn yelled raising his foot and kicking Liam into the pool.

Zayn laughed as Liam fell into the pool but then became worried after a few seconds went by and Liam still hadn’t resurfaced. Zayn was now scared because he didn’t know how to swim and if Liam was drowning he wouldn’t be able to save him. He was the one who pushed him into the pool so if Liam died it would be all his fault. This is what Zayn gets for imagining that Liam was his own personal action man that could handle anything. Zayn was two seconds away from calling 911 to rescue Liam when he heard a splash. “Scared ya.” Liam smirked finally resurfacing.

Now Liam was the one laughing. That was until he saw Zayn’s face fall into a pout. Now Zayn had the upper hand. He turned around so that his back was facing Liam and pretended to be upset. Zayn had spent enough time around Louis that he knew how to spin a prank around in his favor. He heard Liam emerge from the pool and walk over to him. Suddenly he felt Liam’s wet body pressed up against his. “Sorry Zaynie.” Liam said cheekily while messing up Zayn’s hair as a final touch. Now Zayn and Liam both were completely soaked. Liam had won this round.

Zayn dragged Liam back into the house claiming that he didn’t want them to catch cold.

“We only have two hours to get ready!” Zayn exclaimed. “That’s plenty of time.” Liam replied but Zayn wasn’t listening. He was already dragging Liam up the stairs. Zayn deposited Liam in a guest bathroom to get ready and then he ran off to prepare himself.

It only took Liam 30 minutes to get ready seeing as that all he had to do was shower and put clothes on. Having no hair makes life easier than you think.  For the next 30 minutes Liam just wandered around Zayn’s house looking at things. The design was sleek, modern and filled with beautiful art. Some it Liam was 99% positive Zayn did himself.

Eventually Liam grew bored and began to look for Zayn. He just followed the sound of thumping Kanye West and eventually found Zayn’s room. He peeked into the door to see Zayn in a robe rapping along almost flawlessly. Zayn felt Liam watching him and didn’t even falter he just motioned for Liam to walk in. “Choose something for me to wear while I do my hair” Zayn said and then walked off into the bathroom. Liam ran his fingers through hair that he didn’t have and began the task of finding something for Zayn to wear. Eventually he decided on black jeans, a t-shirt with a snake emblazoned on the front, and sneakers to match. Zayn emerged from the bathroom with his trademark hairstyle and smiled at Liam’s selections. “Perfect”.

Liam politely exited the room while Zayn got dressed and then once the boy decided that he was completely ready they left to join their friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> congratulations youve made it through the worst thing ive ever written basically I just wanted to show that over the few months Zayn and Liam have gotten super close and bla bla bla sorry i'll probably rewrite the chapter bc it truly is bad BUT NEXT CHAPTER MY FAVORITE PERSON COMES IN IVE ALREADY WRITTEN THE CHAPTER AND ITS GOOOOD this is my grace chapter you and I both know I can do better


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry if there is any mistakes its 3am and im seeing stars

“Can we get a lane for 4 people?” Liam asked the man running the bowling alley. “Actually 5” Louis corrected. The boys looked and him questionly and Louis just shrugged. “I invited a friend.” The group of boys moved aside to wait on a lane to be free and waited on Louis’ friend to show up. Louis was anxious for his friend to show up. He felt like he had to invite someone into the group just to round things out. Much too often the other boys would fall into conversations that didn’t involve him. The person Louis had invited had a special skill of uniting people with his personality and Louis hoped that he would make his situation a little better.

“Weyhey!” a thick irish accent proclaimed. Liam turned to the door Niall Horan walking through the door. Someone he hadn’t seen since he graduated high school. “Lads!” Niall said walking over to them once he spotted them in the crowed bowling alley. “Payno! You look like a proper action man!” Niall joked rubbing Liams head. “Styles! You finally grew into your hair!” Niall said laughing at his own joke. “DJ Malik! I hear youre engaged now.” Niall said with a shudder. “Just kidding Perrie is hot.”

“Nobody has called me that since 9th grade Niall” Zayn said shaking his head.

“Tommo! You don’t look a day out of middle school” Niall cackled. “Shut up Niall” Louis snapped.

Soon after their lane opened up and the boys grabbed shoes and balls and headed down. The first round was serious and the boys actually bowled. The second round was going the same- that was until Niall had devised a way to score a strike every time. The way was ridiculous and it drove the boys crazy that it actually worked. When Niall won the second round he did a “victory lap” around the alley informing every one of his win. While he did this other boys decided that they had to add on one more round to the original plan of two because they couldn’t handle Niall’s ego and they had to knock him down a few pegs.

The third round was going the same way and all the boys were groaning. Louis became so irritated that he decided to just stroll down the lane and kick down the pins to get a strike. Moments later all five boys were kicked out of the bowling alley and banned for life.

“Louis you need to be put on a leash we can’t take you anywhere” Zayn complained. “Well maybe if Niall hadn’t have cheated!” Louis complained back.

“Soon we won’t have anywhere to go.” Harry remarked.

“Hush Styles. There’s plenty of places to go.” Louis insisted. (He was wrong)

The boys ended up going back to Zayn’s to have a movie night. Louis whined that movie night was lame, boring and unmanly but the boys just ignored him. Harry was in the kitchen making snacks for everyone and to his chagrin Louis was in there too stealing snacks when he thought Harry wasn’t paying attention. Eventually Harry just set aside food for Louis to have so he would leave him alone but the older boy just gave them back saying that it’s about the game not the prize.

Niall was sat on the floor trying to decide what movie to watch. “Should we watch Anchorman or Step Brothers?”

“We can just watch both Niall” Liam responded off handedly.

Liam was more interested in what Zayn was doing. He was in the other room talking on the phone and he looked upset. Zayn noticed Liam watching and he flashed the boy a smile before moving out of Liam’s sight.

Harry walked in carrying a tray of snacks with Louis following closely behind. He placed the snacks on the table with a flourish. “Thanks Harry” Liam said letting him know that his efforts weren’t useless.

“Hurry up and put the movie on Niall!” Louis ordered plopping down next to Harry despite the boy’s glares.

“I’m going; don’t get your panties into a bunch.” Niall replied putting in the DVD but not pressing play just yet. He then got up from the floor, grabbed almost all of the snacks and cuddled into Liam. Liam just looked Niall and laughed. He didn’t mind the boy being so close to him. Zayn’s house was a little cold and for such a small lad Niall gave off a lot of heat. 

After a few minutes Zayn finally walked in to the room.

“Finally we’ve been waiting for ages. You talk too much” Louis stated.

Hush Tommo before I kick you out my house.” Zayn quipped.

Zayn looked around for places to sit and the only thing left was the lone recliner. He looked over to where Niall was cuddled up to Liam and instantly decided that he wanted to be there.

“Move Niall.” He said coming off a little meaner than intended.

“But I’m comfortable!” Niall complained.

“I don’t care. My house my rules” Zayn shrugged.

“Fine” Niall grumbled getting up and laying on top of Harry and Louis on the other loveseat.

Zayn smiled and took Nails spot.

“I’m telling Perrie on you!” Niall called from across the room.

“Just start the movie Niall.” Liam laughed.

The boys spent the rest of the night watching movies and making fun of Niall for laughing at the parts that weren’t funny. Eventually they all fell asleep. Zayn and Liam cuddled under a blanket on one loveseat and Harry and Louis on opposite of the loveseat. Niall was the only one of them who had enough common sense to wander upstairs and sleep on a bed or so he thought. In the morning all the other boys found him passed out in the bathtub upstairs.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> niam vs ziam or more like niall vs zayn bc liam is just chillin and accepting the free cuddles


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry it took forever to update college is kicking my ass

It was another boring day at the shop and Liam was ready to close but it was Wednesday and Liam refused to close the shop until his favorite customer came in.

“C’mon Liam just close the shop already. I’m hungry” Niall complained. He had been at the shop for the better half of the day bothering Liam just as much as he was helping him. Liam’s stomach growled in agreement with Niall’s words. “See, you’re hungry too.” Niall pointed out. Liam just sighed and began to close up shop. Niall cheered and began to help Liam put everything away. Before long everything was put away and Liam was locking the door.

“Dinner is on me tonight babe” Niall announced giving Liam a cheeky smile and nestling his head into Liam’s neck. Liam just shook his head at Niall’s antics. Lately the boy had taken to acting like he and Liam were dating because he knew that it was an easy way to get on Liam's nerves.

Liam heard a throat clear and he turned to see Zayn looking at him and Niall.

“Am I interrupting something?’ Zayn questioned. Liam shook his head at the same time Niall responded with “Yes, you’re interrupting date night please evacuate the area”

“Oh,” was all Zayn remarked before walking away.

“Oops” Niall spoke.

Liam frowned at Zayn’s retreating figure and made a mental note to text Zayn later and ask him what was wrong.

After his encounter with Liam and Niall Zayn went over to Louis’ house because he wasn’t quite ready to face Perrie yet especially because he had no flowers. Zayn had been trying to discuss what just happened with Louis but the older boy was ignoring Zayn in favor for his phone.

“Do you think Liam and Niall are dating?” Zayn questioned.

“Nah.” Louis responded.

“But Niall said they were having date night”

“Niall was just being cheeky”

“But-“

“Listen Zayn” Louis interrupted. “There is nothing between Liam and Niall. I promise.”

Zayn just sighed and got up to leave. “See ya later mate.” He said letting himself out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS WAS SHORT SORRY but theres trouble in paradise oh no ( this story only has about 5 more chapters btw)
> 
>  
> 
> btw if you're wondering when the soulmate thing comes in brace yourself bc shit is going to hit the fan (in a very passive way) but still


	11. NOT AN UPDATE

okay so im just going to clarify a few things because ive confused everyone im sorry  
1\. Liam and Niall are NOT dating. Niall is just being annoying  
2\. this isnt a story about ziam being soulmates its about them discovering that theyre soulmates that why it isnt talked about all the time. They arent going to be like lol lets look and see if our tattoos match but it will come out eventually  
3\. after chapter 1 the rest of the story is a flash back leading up until chapter 1 but i havent decided if it will end there or if i'll keep going  
4\. the time length in the story has been about 2 months

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay sorry i just wanted to make these things clear later tonight i'll upload a real chapter i promise


	12. Chapter 12

Liam had been at the venue all day arranging and rearranging the flowers. At last minute Perrie had decided that she wanted something completely different than what she had told Liam originally. Liam even had Niall running errands for him because he was struggling to keep up with Perrie’s requests. Liam was worried about what he had gotten into because if this was only the engagement party then what would the wedding be like. Liam didn’t even get why they were having an engagement party when they had been engaged for a year. Zayn had explained to him that they never officially had one because Perrie’s parents hadn’t approved of him but now they finally did and they offered to throw the party. Perrie was never one to turn down a free party and here they all were.

Harry bust into the room with an armful full of big white flowers. “This was all we had” he panted.

“Perfect” Liam said grabbing the flowers and adding him to the arrangements where needed. Once he was finished he stood back next to Harry and admired his work. The white flowers brought out all of the other flowers and Liam prayed that Perrie would like the new arrangements. At that moment Zayn walked in to the room looking the most unkempt Liam had seen him.

“What’s wrong?” Liam questioned while fixing Zayn’s hair for him absentmindedly.

“She’s driving me crazy” Zayn whispered.

“Me too.” Liam joked.

Zayn smiled and was about to speak when Niall burst into the room. “Li, I got your glitter!” Niall ran up to Liam and gave the boy a big hug. “Here ya go babe.” Niall said handing Liam the glitter. Liam rolled his eyes and pushed Niall away. Zayn raised an eyebrow. “Trouble in paradise?”

Liam looked at Zayn confused for a moment and then it clicked. “Wait no. Niall and I are not dating. He’s just being annoying.”

“Oh” Zayn said and Liam could have sworn he saw Zayn visibibly relax but he could  be mistaken.

“Zayn!” Perries voice floated through the room.

“Duty calls.” Zayn sighed exiting the room.

“You like Zayn” Harry smirked.

“No I don’t” Liam rebutted.

“Yes, you do.” Niall added in.

“I do not like Zayn.” Liam stated.

“Look at his cheeks! He’s blushing!” Niall pointed out.

“Hush.” Liam said turning around and sprinkling the glitter that he was putting on the flowers onto the two boys shutting them up immediately. Liam laughed and went back to work to the sound of the boys complaining.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is short sorry but i added in a extra part just show that niall is being annoying yay and that ziam have suppressed feelings for each other


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for any mistakes or weird formatting I had to type this on my phone because my roommate was bitching about the sound my keyboard was making

Everyone noticed when Harry and Niall entered the room. The two boys sparkled in the lights like vampires from twilight. Every time Harry fixed his hair glitter would fall out onto the floor and people that surrounded him.

"Harry stop getting glitter on me" Louis complained.

"No one said you had to stand next to me." Harry snapped back.

Niall was sat hiding in the corner because for some reason all of the children kept approaching him asking for candy and good luck. They were convinced that he was a leprechaun and it was hard to convince them otherwise when he was sparkling so brightly.

"Hi mister leprechaun please give me candy" asked a little girl.

"Who told ya I was a leprechaun" Niall questioned her. She just pointed across the room at Louis who was laughing while watching the scene play out from afar.

"Wanna know a secret?" Niall asked the small child who nodded excitedly wanting to be in on the action. "That lad over there that told you I'm a leprechaun is actually one of Santa's elves. That's why he's so short go tell him what you want for Christmas and you'll get it for sure."

The girl ran off for Louis immediately and now it Niall who was laughing as he got up and rejoined the party.

Liam had been standing with his back against the wall watching all of this happen. He shook his head at his friends antics and kept on observing. He didn't enter the party simply because he felt too shy. Everyone at the party was so pretty and he was just Liam. But this didn't upset him he was okay with it. He liked to watch people and notice how they behaved. For instance, when Louis arrived the first thing he did was look for Harry and make a beeline towards him. This made Liam uneasy so he was sure to keep an eye on them. He also noticed Niall walk in and observed that the first thing the boy did was to flirt with all of Zayn's beautiful family members. They all turned him down but Niall still tried; that was until children starting following him around. He then left the Malik's alone and sat in a corner hiding.

Liam was shaken out of his observations by Zayn calling his name. "Li, come meet my mom!" He looked towards Zayn to see him standing next to basically the female version of him. Liam walked over smiling and greeted Mrs. Malik appropriately.

"Liam, I've heard so much about you." She said pulling him into a hug. Liam blushed at her words. "Really?" He questioned. "Yes, you're all my little Zaynie talks about" she answered. Now Zayn was blushing as well.

"Zayn!" Perrie screeched across the room. At the sound of her voice Zayn rolled his eyes and stalked off towards his fiancée.

Liam decided to stay with Zayn's family. They were warm and welcoming and conversation flowed easily with them. Before he knew it the party was over and he was hugging Zayn's mother goodbye. "You better come visit me in Bradford one day" she told him. He promised her that he would and she was on her way.

Liam had to stay until everyone left and then he began to collect his flowers. They still looked good and Liam couldn't bear to waste them so he planned on taking them to the local hospital and giving them to patients to brighten their day. He heard the door open and close and he saw Zayn walking towards him. "My family really liked you" he stated as he began to help Liam disassemble.

"They want you to come to Bradford asap. I also think my sister might have a crush on you." Zayn laughed.

"I would love to visit Bradford one day" Liam replied.

"Good because we're going to this weekend" Zayn said. And that was that. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ONLY 2 MAYBE 3 CHAPTERS LEFT IN THIS STORY not including an epilogue if I write one and I love Niall so much I just want to write about him forever I went to wwa yesterday and fell in love with them all over again and this is getting long sorry I'm done


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> have you guys noticed that ive stopped jumping pov so much someone told me its annoying so i quit

Liam and Zayn arrived at Zayn’s childhood home late in the night. They crept up the stairs silently trying to not wake anyone. “Do you mind sharing a bed?” Zayn whispered. Liam shook his head in response. Zayn nodded and led Liam into his room where he boys crawled into his bed and fell asleep.

In the morning Liam woke up and unsurprisingly he was awake before Zayn. He glanced over at him and noticed that his shirt was off. Of course this didn’t bother Liam because Zayn was gorgeous but a symbol on Zayn’s upper right shoulder caught his eye. Liam carefully shifted to look at the symbol closer and almost passed out at what he saw. Zayn had a little symbol just like his. The first feelings that Liam felt were joy and he wanted to scream and shout and tell Zayn but then he remembered. Zayn was engaged.

Now Liam was confused. He didn’t understand how three people could have the same mark in the same place. He had never known of something like that to happen. So Liam just laid back down and went back to sleep.

For the rest of the weekend Liam spent the time bonding with Zayn’s family and getting to know them. He fit right in as if he had known the family for years. Spending time with Zayn’s family over the weekend was definitely one of the best times in his life but the entire time he couldn’t help but feel as if something was entirely wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the next chapter may or may not be the last chapter :) and i'll probably upload it tonight


	15. Chapter 15

Over the few weeks Zayn had been growing more and more excited for his wedding. Perrie had stopped being as annoying as usual and she was the woman Zayn had fallen in love with again.

“Zayn…” Perrie said entering the room. Zayn instantly knew what she wanted.

“We agreed to wait until out honeymoon.” He placated her.

“But I want it now.” Perrie pouted crawling into bed.

Seconds later they were in the heat of the moment. Perrie always got her way.  Zayn smiled down at Perrie underneath him as his eyes traveled across her body. She was indeed very beautiful and Zayn couldn’t wait to call her his wife. He looked at the mark on her shoulder and smiled even wider marveling the fact that he had actually found his soul mate when so many people in the world were left lonely. Briefly he thought of Liam and decided that he had to help him find his soul mate because he wanted Liam to be has happy as he was in this moment. His eyes travelled down to her hip where he saw a tattoo.

“Whoa, when did you get a tattoo its sick.” He complimented her.

He lightly traced his hands over the ink and then became confused. The ink was raised almost like a soul mate mark. He examined it closer and then noticed the way the black shined translucently in the light. Time almost seemed to freeze has his moved his hand up and felt the other mark on her shoulder. It was flat. It didn't take Zayn long to figure out what was going on. Instantly he was out of the bed. He fled to his closet closing the door behind and sitting on the floor hidden behind his clothes.  He wanted to cry and scream out but he couldn’t. He was devoid of emotion. For the rest of the night he just sat there wide awake tired but unable to sleep.

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldnt bear to finish so i broke up this chapter into 2 parts


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im hiding in the bathroom uploading this thats true dedication i think

“Zaynie, wake up. I made you breakfast” Perrie cooed shaking Zayn lightly to wake him. Zayn flinched awake at her touch. It burned him like acid and at the feeling he jumped up to a standing position.

“Get out of my house.” Zayn hissed at her.

“Please, listen to me. I can explain.” Perrie begged.

“I don’t care about what you have to say” Zayn stated.

“I’m sorry” she pleaded but her words had no effect. Zayn looked at her icily.

“I just wanted love” Perrie continued, “You have to understand that this is the only way that we could be together you would have never noticed me.”

“No Perrie. I always noticed you before I thought that we were soul mates you were funny and you laughed at my jokes and told me my paintings were good and you belived in me but I see now that its all a lie.” Zayn ranted.

“Zayn what we had wasn’t a lie.” Perrie pleaded tears streaming.

“Whatever we had its over. You’re a selfish woman. How could you _steal_ me from my soul mate? How could you live with knowing that there is someone out there looking for you but you wouldn’t give them the chance of day just to live a lie? In all honesty I can’t stand to look at you. You’re disgusting.” Zayn sneered.

“I’m leaving and when I get back I don’t want to see you.”

With those words Zayn left for the only place he knew he could feel safe in.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what a short and intense chapter also the last chapter of this story how grand


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)

Zayn was always so private and reserved even his best mate Liam; but Liam understood that and gave Zayn the space he needed instead of pressuring Zayn for information like his other friends (Louis for example).  Liam was always there for him; a quiet soul to bond with when Niall’s laughter became too much, an R&B sanctuary when Harry blasted his horrible hipster music and a place of refugee when Louis’ personality became too much.

It only makes sense that Liam was the first person he told when he got engaged to Perrie. So it only makes sense that Liam was the first person Zayn ran to for comfort when his marriage with Perrie didn’t work out. He confessed to Liam how Perrie violated him in his sleep and found his mark and then snuck off to the tattoo parlor to get one just like his in the same spot. He explained the confusion on his behalf on how when they finally had sex for the first time he was surprised to see that she had two marks one like his and one that was not. In all the lust and passion she had forgotten that she was living a lie and in those spilt few seconds it all fell apart.

As Zayn talked Liam didn’t say anything. He was afraid that if he even made one single noise Zayn would retreat back into his shell. He was surprised that Zayn was telling him all of this but he wasn’t shocked at what Zayn told him. He knew that Zayn and Perrie weren’t made for each other.

When Zayn finished he looked up at Liam afraid that his friend would judge him for being naïve and crying like a girl but still Liam said nothing. He just opened up his arms and encased Zayn into his grasp in a way that only he could and for the first time in years Zayn cried. Not only for his most recent loss but for everything. He let out pain that he had been holding in for almost all of his life. He cried for the time in 5th grade when he fell and broke his arm and his father threated to send him back to Pakistan if he even shed one tear. He also cried for the time when his dog had “died” while he was away and Perrie had him cremated and thrown in a closet somewhere before he could properly say goodbye. That night Zayn released all of his burdens onto Liam and Liam accepted them willingly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ITS OVER!! I cant decide if I want to do an epilogue and put these characters on the shelf or make a sequel about their life as soulmates idk we'll see I really like this Niall and I want to do something with him but Im also in love with flower shop Harry and punk Louis which I didnt get into much in this story theres so much more I can do with it we shall see but FLOWER SHOP HARRY AND PUNK LOUIS WOW and flower shop liam and super cool zayn too theres just so much im torn


End file.
